2020 Gmc TERRAIN

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Gmc TERRAIN has 282 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is brakes problems (23% of all complaints), specifically: every week it's something different. in motion... no cruze control. no audio. don't drive over 50mph brake problem. parking brake engages randomly and without user engagement. no awd. no stability traction. this happens so frequently the dash indicators have been reduced to 'idiot lights'. at what p. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 8 crash reports 8 injuries

282

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

BRAKES

64 complaints

23%

• EVERY WEEK IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IN MOTION... NO CRUZE CONTROL. NO AUDIO. DON'T DRIVE OVER 50MPH BRAKE PROBLEM. PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT USER ENGAGEMENT. NO AWD. NO STABILITY TRACTION. THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY THE DASH INDICATORS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO 'IDIOT LIGHTS'. AT WHAT P
• WHEN REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, BRAKES FAILED CAUSING ACCIDENT. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL WITH NO BRAKING. HIT A PARKED CAR. AFTER SHUTTING CAR OFF AND ATTEMPTING TO MOVE VEHICLE BRAKES DID ENGAGE AND RESPOND CORRECTLY. REAR DAMAGE TO TERRAIN OCCURRED REQUIRING TOWING.
• SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST MESSAGE CAME ACROSS SCREEN AFTER I WAS UNABLE TO PUSH DOWN BRAKE PEDAL.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 5 crashes

“EVERY WEEK IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IN MOTION... NO CRUZE CONTROL. NO AUDIO. DON'T DRIVE OVER 50MPH BRAKE PROBLEM. PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT USER ENGAGEMENT. NO AWD. NO STABILITY TRACTION. THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY THE DASH INDICATORS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO 'IDIOT LIGHTS'. AT WHAT P”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

56 complaints

20%

• WE DROVE TO A FARM WITH A FAMILY OF 5M KIDS AND AN ELDERLY, AND PARKED MY CAR FOR 2-3 HOURS IN THE FARM'S OPEN AREA PARKING LOT. VEHICLE SHOWED NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO PROBLEMS, NO ISSUES DURING OUR DRIVE TO THE FARM AND PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. EVERYTHING WAS FINE WHEN WE GO THERE AND PARKED. WE WERE READ
• loss of oil due to engine defect and need new engine. engine and car at dealership. engine has not been torn apart to find cause. occupants could have died because of engine stoppage... GM wants owner to pay over 15,000 for new engine and instillation. car under new car warranty has 24211 miles. no
• This 2020 GMC Terrain has a "feature" called autostop. This is not a switch to turn this off. It would not be so bad if the engine would run for 5 minutes at a stoplight before stopping the engine but it immediately shuts down the engine after a stop. This is getting annoying and dangerous due to th

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WE DROVE TO A FARM WITH A FAMILY OF 5M KIDS AND AN ELDERLY, AND PARKED MY CAR FOR 2-3 HOURS IN THE FARM'S OPEN AREA PARKING LOT. VEHICLE SHOWED NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO PROBLEMS, NO ISSUES DURING OUR DRIVE TO THE FARM AND PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. EVERYTHING WAS FINE WHEN WE GO THERE AND PARKED. WE WERE READ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

33 complaints

12%

• THE COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THE INSIDE FRONT OF THE CAR IS TOO SMALL AND I CANT REACH THE GAS PEDAL EXCEPT WITH MY TOE. MY FOOT KEEPS SLIPPING OFF AS I AM DRIVING. I HAVE TO HAVE THE SEAT WAY UP OR I CANT REACH. I AM 5 FOOT TALL WOMAN. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS THING THAT I HAVE TO PUT UP. I DROVE IT FOR 1
• THE AC SYSTEM PRODUCES A TOXIC CHEMICAL SMELL CAUSING THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGER TO OPEN THE WINDOWS IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE TOXIC ODOR. THE SMELL IS INTERMITTENT AND CAN BE MODERATE TO EXTREMELY POTENT.THE VEHICLE IS USUALLY IN MOTION WHEN THIS OCCURS AND CAN HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING LOCALLY AND ON TH
• PURCHASED NEW 2020 GMC TERRAIN W/7MILES. LEFT DEALERSHIP ON MY WAY HOME, AND WITHIN 20 MILES, RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON DASH-> SERVICE - ESC - DISMISS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED SEVERAL TIMES, AND THE SUV SLOWED DOWN AT LEAST 10 MILES FROM 65MILES PER HOUR. AFTER ENGINE LIGHT STOPPED BLINKING, I CON

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“THE COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THE INSIDE FRONT OF THE CAR IS TOO SMALL AND I CANT REACH THE GAS PEDAL EXCEPT WITH MY TOE. MY FOOT KEEPS SLIPPING OFF AS I AM DRIVING. I HAVE TO HAVE THE SEAT WAY UP OR I CANT REACH. I AM 5 FOOT TALL WOMAN. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS THING THAT I HAVE TO PUT UP. I DROVE IT FOR 1”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

27 complaints

10%

• VEHICLE WAS ON 1/8 OF A TANK,I TRIED TO FILL, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ON 5 GALLONS OF FUEL, GAS GAUGE READ FULL. REPORTED TO DEALER, THERE IS A 'BULLETIN' ON THE VEHICLE, FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY FILLING TANK 3 TIMES, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REPLICA
• As I was driving on the highway in New York on Route 17 south near exit 111, I tried to accelerate but when I did the car went slower and the check engine light and traction control lights came on. I was right in front of a huge truck and thank God I was in the right lane that I was able to quickly
• I had been fishing at the lake and went to leave and when I got in my car I put it in reverse and backed up then put in drive to pull forward, only I pushed the throttle all the way to the floor and the vehicle was completely unresponsive. I put it back in reverse and backed up a little more then pu

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“VEHICLE WAS ON 1/8 OF A TANK,I TRIED TO FILL, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ON 5 GALLONS OF FUEL, GAS GAUGE READ FULL. REPORTED TO DEALER, THERE IS A 'BULLETIN' ON THE VEHICLE, FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY FILLING TANK 3 TIMES, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REPLICA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

26 complaints

• WE DROVE TO A FARM WITH A FAMILY OF 5M KIDS AND AN ELDERLY, AND PARKED MY CAR FOR 2-3 HOURS IN THE FARM'S OPEN AREA PARKING LOT. VEHICLE SHOWED NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO PROBLEMS, NO ISSUES DURING OUR DRIVE TO THE FARM AND PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. EVERYTHING WAS FINE WHEN WE GO THERE AND PARKED. WE WERE READ
• TWICE WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS MY ENTIRE RADIO SHUT OFF, MY SCREEN WENT BLACK AND SO DID MY GAUGES FOR AT LEAST 20 SECONDS. THEN THEY JUST CAME BACK ON AND PICKED UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF.
• WHILE STARTING VEHICLE THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN WENT BLACK AND NOTHING WOULD WORK. STAYED THIS WAY WHILE DRIVING. STOPPED TURNED OFF CAR AND STILL DIDNT WORK. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE DATA COMMUNICATIONS MODULE.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 282 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
BRAKES: EVERY WEEK IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IN MOTION... NO CRUZE CONTROL. NO AUDIO. DON'T DRIVE OVER 50MPH BRAKE PROBLEM. PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT USER ENGAGEMENT. NO AWD. NO STABILITY TRACTION. THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY THE DASH INDICATORS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO 'IDIOT LIGHTS'. AT WHAT P
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: WE DROVE TO A FARM WITH A FAMILY OF 5M KIDS AND AN ELDERLY, AND PARKED MY CAR FOR 2-3 HOURS IN THE FARM'S OPEN AREA PARKING LOT. VEHICLE SHOWED NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO PROBLEMS, NO ISSUES DURING OUR DRIVE TO THE FARM AND PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. EVERYTHING WAS FINE WHEN WE GO THERE AND PARKED. WE WERE READ
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THE INSIDE FRONT OF THE CAR IS TOO SMALL AND I CANT REACH THE GAS PEDAL EXCEPT WITH MY TOE. MY FOOT KEEPS SLIPPING OFF AS I AM DRIVING. I HAVE TO HAVE THE SEAT WAY UP OR I CANT REACH. I AM 5 FOOT TALL WOMAN. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS THING THAT I HAVE TO PUT UP. I DROVE IT FOR 1
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: VEHICLE WAS ON 1/8 OF A TANK,I TRIED TO FILL, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ON 5 GALLONS OF FUEL, GAS GAUGE READ FULL. REPORTED TO DEALER, THERE IS A 'BULLETIN' ON THE VEHICLE, FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY FILLING TANK 3 TIMES, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REPLICA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)